Differences
by Torchwood97
Summary: What if Harry had befriended Draco BEFORE they got on the train? What if he didn't befriend Ron at first? eventual HPDM.
1. The Beginning

_"You're a wizard, Harry."_

The words replayed over and over in Harry Potter's mind. He was a wizard. He could do magic. He was in a magic alley, getting magic supplies, so in one month, he could get on a magic train to go to his magic school.

It was almost too much for him to handle.

"We got ter get yer robes 'fore anything else," Hagrid was saying as they walked down Diagon Alley. "Otherwise, we'll ferget all 'bout 'em. The wand's the best part. We'll save it fer last."

Their wild cart rides in Gringotts had left Hagrid somewhat greenfaced, so Harry understood perfectly when he ducked into the Leaky Cauldron after showing him to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Harry entered the shop feeling excited to have a purpose.

"Hogwarts, dear?" Madam Malkin said. Harry nodded, smiling. "Head to the back. I've already got another young man back there."

Harry walked to the back of the shop, and saw a very handsome boy standing on a stool. He had white-blond hair, with a pale, pointed face.

"Hello," he said. "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," Harry grinned.

"I'm going for my books next, then my wand," he stated. "I've waited for this my whole life. You?"

"Er…" Harry began. He didn't know how the boy would react if he knew Harry had only just found out he was a wizard.

The boy looked expectantly at him.

"I only just found out that I'm a wizard." Harry said, hoping the boy wouldn't think him to be weird.

"Oh," said the other boy. "You were raised by Muggles? Are your parents Muggles?" The blond wrinkled his nose slightly.

"Muggles?"

"You know, non-magical people?" The other boy said, looking at Harry as if he were a bug under a microscope.

"Oh. I was raised by them, but my parents were a wizard and a witch." Harry told him. "So I've heard." He added the last part almost as an afterthought.

The other boy's eyes softened slightly.

"Where are your parents?" He asked.

Harry swallowed.

"They're dead. Apparently some really dark wizard killed them when I was one."

Recognition showed in the blond's face.

"Oh- you're Harry Potter, aren't you?" He said, as if he heard the name all the time.

"Y-yes…" Harry stammered. He was suddenly very nervous.

"I know _all_ about you- everyone does." The boy's drawling voice was slightly excited. "I've heard your story loads of times!"

Harry smiled.

"I'm Harry, as you know." Harry said, sticking out his hand from the long black robes that had been pinned to him.

"I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." Draco grasped his hand and smiled. "I'll see you around then. Maybe on the train?"

Harry nodded, letting go of Draco's hand.

"See you around."

* * *

><p>The following month went by so slowly that Harry was sure someone had stopped time just to make him suffer. Finally, August 31st arrived, and Harry was in frenzy all day, making sure he had put all of his things in the right place in his trunk.<p>

Harry set his alarm and jumped into bed- falling into a restless sleep filled with dreams of spells and robes and his new blond friend.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Harry was walking through King's Cross Station with knots in his stomach.<p>

'Platform 9 ¾.' He kept repeating in his head.

He passed 8, then 9, then 10… Wait, what? Where was 9 ¾?

"Excuse me, sir!" Harry called out to an attendee in the station.

"What can I do for you, lad?"

"Could you tell me where Platform 9 ¾ is?" Harry said. The man snorted, then, seeing Harry's face, said, "Platform 9 ¾? Are you trying to be funny? There's no platform of that name here." He frowned and walked away; deciding Harry was just another kid trying to make jokes.

Harry sighed in defeat. He leaned his back and head against the wall.

"Harry?" a drawling voice spoke. Harry opened his eyes quickly. Before him stood Draco Malfoy, smirking slightly.

"Draco? Thank goodness you're here! That man said that there's no Platform 9 ¾!" Harry spoke quickly.

Draco smiled. Behind him was a woman- almost a spitting image of Draco. Her face was pulled into a haughty look.

"Harry Potter?" She spoke, sizing him up, as if to see if he was good enough to be friends with her son.

"How… nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Harry responded, not wanting to say something wrong.

"Draco, my dear, I must leave you here. Your father requires my assistance immediately." At this, her eyes flickered to Harry. "I'm sure you can show Mr. Potter how to get to the platform." She kissed her son lightly on the cheek and walked away without another glance.

"What…" Harry began, immensely confused. Draco smirked.

"C'mon, Harry." He pulled Harry over to the wall with the sign 'Platform 10' on it. "Are you ready for the beginning of your life as a wizard?"

Harry nodded reluctantly. All of a sudden, Draco pulled him towards the wall- hard. Harry braced himself to hit the wall- about to question Draco with his fist.

But the wall never came. Instead, Harry found himself in a completely different room, staring up at a huge black and red train.

Harry gaped at it for a full minute before Draco pulled him forward, laughing quietly.

* * *

><p>"Can you imagine being in Hufflepuff?" Draco scoffed loudly. "I think I'd leave."<p>

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle both made noises of agreement. Harry gave Draco a blank look.

"You get sorted into different "houses" when you get there," Draco started explaining. "Hufflepuff is for dimwits who don't live in reality. Ravenclaw is for the nerds who are in love with the library. Gryffindor is for the mighty saviors who think they're so great." He rolled his eyes at the mention of Gryffindor.

"So… Which do you want to be in?" Harry asked, obviously confused.

"The best one," Draco said proudly. "Slytherin." Crabbe and Goyle clapped at the mention of the house.

"Who goes in Slytherin?" Harry prodded, immensely curious. Draco smiled evilly.

"Only the pure of blood. The best ones. We're cunning and clever. We're prone to power." Draco said proudly.

"You're to be in Slytherin, then?" Harry asked.

"Definitely." Draco smiled. "And I'll be on the Quidditch team."

"Quidditch?"

"It's a sport played on brooms. I've been playing my whole life. I think it's rubbish that we can't bring our own brooms this year, don't you?"

* * *

><p>When they arrived, they were ushered into little boats which carried them across the lake towards the castle.<p>

Crabbe and Goyle had been separated from them. A freckled, red-headed boy and a bushy-haired brunette girl took their place.

"Hello, I'm Ron." The boy had said.

"I'm Harry, and this is Draco."

The boy- Ron- gaped at him.

"Harry Potter? Oh, hello! I'm Hermione Granger!" The girl interjected, her eyes wide with excitement.

"H-Harry… Potter?" Ron stammered. Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione said impatiently. "Don't ogle over him. I'm sure he just wants to be treated like anyone else!"

Harry searched his brain for a new topic of conversation but nothing he could think of seemed appropriate.

"Oh, would you look at that!" Draco almost yelled. "We're almost to shore!"

Harry almost breathed a sigh of relief. He was silently thankful for Hermione. He gave Draco a smile of thanks, which Draco returned.

Before long they were standing on the shore gazing up at their new home. It was time to go in.

* * *

><p>"The sorting will begin momentarily." Professor McGonagall turned and swept back into the Great Hall.<p>

"Time to get into Slytherin," Draco said, more to Harry, Crabbe, and Goyle. "We should all be together."

Hermione looked nervous. Ron snorted.

"Why would anyone _want_ to be in Slytherin?" He said incredulously. Draco narrowed his eyes.

"Because, _Weasley,_" He spat. "Slytherin is for the very best." Draco looked Ron up and down with a look of disgust on his face. "You obviously won't be joining us."

Ron opened his mouth to retort, his face a look of outrage. At the same moment, Professor McGonagall walked back into the Entrance Hall.

"We're ready for you."

McGonagall led them through the giant doors to the Great Hall. Everyone was seated at one of four separate tables. At one table, the kids wore red and gold ties. At another, they wore yellow and black. Another, they wore blue and bronze. And finally, the far table wore green and silver.

The ceiling looked exactly like the sky outside. A few gasped, thinking there wasn't a ceiling at all.

"It's bewitched to look like the night sky outside." Hermione was saying to Harry. "I read _Hogwarts, A History_ before I came- how about you?"

Harry shook his head as they got to the front of the hall. There was a hat sitting on a stool in front of what Harry could only guess was the teacher's table.

"This is the Sorting Hat," McGonagall explained. "When I call your name, you will come to the front, sit on the stool, and place the hat on your head. You will then be sorted into your House."

All of them started chattering excitedly amongst themselves before McGonagall held up her hand to silence them.

"Vincent Crabbe!" Crabbe walked up to the stool, sat down, and set the hat on his head.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled. Most of the students jumped, not realizing what was happening.

Crabbe got up and went to sit at the table with the green and silver tie wearing kids, high-fiving Goyle on the way.

"Susan Bones!" A girl with brown hair and shaking knees walked to the stool.

"Hmm… Hufflepuff!" It shouted without delay.

Susan smiled and went to the black and yellow table.

"Draco Malfoy!"

Draco smirked and walked very slowly up to the stool. He had barely set the hat on his head when it shouted "SLYTHERIN!" Draco smiled at Harry with a look that said, 'I told you so.'

"Your turn." He whispered to Harry as he passed on the way to the Slytherin table, high-fiving Goyle as well.

Harry watched as Hermione, Ron, and another boy named Neville Longbottom got into Gryffindor, much to their delight. Goyle was a Slytherin.

"Harry Potter!" The entire hall seemed to hold its breath as Harry climbed the few steps to the stool. He picked up the hat and carefully sat down before setting it on his head.

"Ah, Mr. Potter…" The hat began. "I see bravery… But I also see ambition."

Harry closed his eyes.

'Slytherin.' He thought.

"Slytherin, eh? That's what you want?" The hat spoke. "But what about the bravery?"

'Slytherin is where I belong.' Harry thought. 'My friends are there.'

"You could make friends…" The hat said. "But I can see…"

Harry held his breath.

"SLYTHERIN!"


	2. Where We Belong

The entire hall was dead silent after Harry was sorted. Then, the Slytherin table burst into a huge applause.

Harry grinned, looking Draco as he walked toward the Slytherin table. Draco was smiling so wide, you'd think he had just won the Order of Merlin.

"Well done, Harry!" He said excitedly. "Now we'll be together!"

The hat finished the sorting with Pansy Parkinson getting put in Slytherin, and Seamus Finnagin in Gryffindor, while an odd-looking girl named Luna Lovegood was put in Ravenclaw.

The feast was delicious. Afterwards, the Prefect led all of the Slytherin first years to the dungeons. At first, Harry thought they were all in trouble for something, but then they walked through a door (of sorts) into a room entirely adorned in green and silver.

There were couches, chairs, small tables scattered around the room, and a fireplace on the far right wall. There were two doors in the back of the room, no doubt to the bedrooms.

"This is the common room," the Prefect said. "You can do your homework or just anything you want in here. Those two doors," He gestured towards the back of the room. "Go to the dormitories. Guys on the right, girls on the left. Find the room with your trunk and luggage in it- that's your room. _No _exceptions." Everyone nodded. "The password is 'non uinci.' Everybody got that? You need to say it every time you come in. Now, classes start tomorrow- get to bed."

All of the new Slytherins made their way to the doors in the back. Pansy 'accidentally' bumped into Draco, who looked up.

"Oh-" She widened her eyes. "I'm so sorry! My name's Pansy." She said, sticking out her hand for Draco. He shook it, smirking.

"Draco." Pansy smiled a flirtatious smile, causing Harry to want to punch her in the face.

"See you around, _Draco._" She drawled.

As they climbed through the doorway, looking at each room for their trunks, Draco smirked at Harry.

"Looks like I've already got an admirer." He said, obviously gloating.

'Looks like it.' Thought Harry.

* * *

><p>When they had finally found their room, they both picked the beds beside the 'window,' right next to each other. The windows weren't real, seeing as they were in dungeons and couldn't actually see outside from underground.<p>

The next morning, they woke up, dressed in their robes, and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Both had green and silver ties on. Everyone stared at them as they came through the doors, causing Draco to smirk and Harry to become annoyed.

"Honestly, Draco," He said, glowering at his friend's expression. "I can see you're enjoying the fame- but don't they have anything _better_ to do than stare at me?"

The whole day was filled with trying to find their classes, trying to bring the right tools, and trying to get on the teachers' good sides.

Transfiguration was alright- you could tell that Professor McGonagall had wanted Harry to be in Gryffindor, as she was Head of House. She immediately took favor to him and- no other than- Hermione Granger.

"Mr. Potter," She had said, smiling. "Do you know what spell we would use to transform a quill into a bird?"

Harry had had no idea. He felt his neck and face growing hot as he shook his head.

"I have no idea, Professor." He said. Hermione's hand shot up in the air.

"Miss Granger, do you know the spell?" McGonagall said, sounding disappointed.

Hermione had known, and the rest of the class was spent with them trying it on their own quills. The other classes went by fairly quickly, Harry and Draco always sitting next to each other, Crabbe and Goyle behind them.

When they finally reached Potions, their last class of the day, they were exhausted. Professor Snape was a tall man with long, black hair, and long, black robes. He was very strict- setting down the rules immediately after he swept into the room.

After taking 5 points from Gryffindor due to Ron not paying attention, and another 10 for Seamus and Dean Thomas talking, he focused on the Slytherins.

"Now, I'm sure none of you will disappoint me," He said, his gaze sweeping over all of them and landing on Draco and Harry, who were seated at the front of the room. "_Especially _young Mr. Potter, here."

Harry smiled smugly. He glanced at Draco, who was smirking at him.

"I'm sure you and Mr. Malfoy will be among the best students in this class." Harry and Draco nodded, knowing it was probably true.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks went by fairly quickly. When it came to the day where the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years were trying out broomsticks, Draco was annoyed.<p>

"It's taken them long enough!" He whispered furiously to Harry as they were taking notes in Charms. "I want to get on a broom already! First years aren't allowed to be on the Quidditch teams, but I'm sure they'll make an exception since I'm so good. I _have_ been practicing all my life, after all."

Finally, after Transfiguration was finished, they were led to a small courtyard outside. There were two rows of brooms facing each other on the ground.

"Gryffindor on the left- Slytherin on the right!" Madam Hooch yelled.

They each stood next to a broom, and Hooch turned to face them. "I want you all to stick your right hand out and hold it over the broom." When she was sure everyone had done it, she continued. "I want you to say, "up" until you get it in your hand. It may take a while, but you must have it in your hand. Begin."

"Up." Harry and Draco spoke at the same time. Their brooms flew immediately into their hands. They looked at each other and grinned.

After about 20 minutes, Hermione and Neville finally got their brooms to come into their hands. Harry and Draco had been silently laughing the entire time. Hermione's hadn't moved very much, and Neville's seemed to have a mind of its own. Ron's had even hit him in the face, at which point, Harry and Draco couldn't help but double over with laughter.

"Alright, now that we're all good, I want you to straddle your brooms and push off the ground. ON MY WHISTLE, NOT YET!" Hooch yelled. "Then you'll lean forward and touch back down! Three, two, one-" At the sound of the whistle, several of them pushed off and touched back down, but Longbottom kept going.

Harry looked up at Neville, who was about to break down in tears. The entire Gryffindor house was yelling for him, and Hooch was yelling like a madwoman.

"MR. LONGBOTTOM!" She screeched. "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"

The entire Slytherin house was laughing. Draco was purple- he hadn't taken a breath from laughing so hard.

Finally, after falling at least 15 feet, Neville was on the ground again.

"Oh, it's a broken wrist," Hooch cooed to him. "We'll get you to Madam Pompfrey." She stood him up and started walking him back to the castle. "If any of you get into the air while I'm gone, you'll get a month's detention, is that clear?"

As soon as she was out of sight, Draco picked something up off the ground. It was a ball, filled with red smoke.

"Looks like Longbottom's forgotten something, eh, Harry?" He sneered. "Care for a game of catch?"

Harry snorted. He had never been on a broom, let alone to try and play catch with a ball.

"Let's see how good you are." Draco then zoomed off into the sky.

"Harry, you can't!" Hermione's voice was right behind him. "A _month's_ detention! Do you want Slytherin to lose the House Cup?"

Harry thought for a moment, then pushed off the ground and flew straight up to where Draco was.

"Give it here, _Malfoy,_ or I'll knock you off your broom!" He shouted.

Draco smirked.

"Last names, Potter?" He asked. "How sad."

Then he chucked the ball very hard in the direction of the lake. Harry zoomed after it, determined to catch it before it broke- or went into the water.

Snape was walking outside with the Slytherin Quidditch captain, Marcus Flint. They were deep in discussion with regard to thier prospects for a new Chaser and their new Seeker. Last year, those two players had graduated from Hogwarts, and their spaces would need filled.

They were talking about the possibility of some fourth years when they saw Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy rise into the air in the courtyard. They seemed to be talking to each other, and then Draco threw a ball- very hard- in their direction.

Harry had flown after it- very fast. Snape and Flint watched as he reached out his hand and caught the ball easily. He smiled victoriously and flew back to the courtyard. Cheers from Slytherin could be heard all the way by the lake.

Harry felt so good when he was chasing the ball. When he caught it, he was sure he would explode from happiness. He touched down to the ground as all of his Slytherin classmates surrounded him, cheering.

Draco came up behind Harry and clapped him on the back.

"Harry, you're a natural!" He said happily. "We'll definitely be on the team together!" Everyone made noises of agreement around them.

"Malfoy! Potter!" Came the voice of Snape. The crowd around Draco and Harry parted at the approach of Snape and another Slytherin. They recognized him as Marcus Flint, a sixth year.

"Come here, you two." Snape said. Flint was smiling, so Harry felt relieved.

'At least we're not in trouble.' He thought as he and Draco crossed the short distance to the other two.

"Marcus and I were discussing the fact that we have two empty spots on our Quidditch team this year." Snape said. "A Chaser and a Seeker."

Draco smiled. "Are we on the team, Professor?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes," said Snape. "I've already spoken with the Headmaster, and he has agreed to put you on the team. Malfoy, you are Chaser. Potter, you are Seeker."

"First practice is this Saturday, 6 o'clock." Flint said, and then he and Snape walked away.

Harry turned towards Draco, expecting to see his excitement mirrored in Draco's expression, but instead was met with a fist to his face.


	3. Possibilities

**A/N: I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones- I'm sorry! But this one was really hard for some reason. -_- By the way, the password for the dungeons is Latin for 'no defeat' (: and in this chapter, Ana is said like you would say "aw-nuh" haha. anyway, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs. Everything goes to J. K. Rowling.**

Harry cried out in pain as he clutched his face. He had heard the crack, which meant his jaw was probably broken.

"What the _hell_, Draco?" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Draco's eyes glinted dangerously with anger before he turned and walked back towards the other Slytherins. Harry didn't know what he had done wrong, but he could tell it had really made Draco angry. A voice in the back of his head told him not to mess with it until Draco had calmed down, but he pushed it away and began to follow him.

"Why did you hit me?" He said loudly to the Draco's back, ignoring the pain in his jaw. "You got what you wanted- we're both on the Quidditch team!" When Draco didn't answer, Harry became angry. "MALFOY!" He yelled.

Draco whirled around, his face the image of fury. His silver eyes were wild as he opened his mouth to say something, but Madam Hooch came back outside at the same moment. Draco closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes at Harry before turning away from him again.

"Mr. Malfoy; Mr. Potter," Hooch said. "I am aware of your little broomstick rendezvous, so there is no need to try and lie about it. However," She said, noticing their looks of protest. "I am also aware that the Headmaster has already spoken to Professor Snape about it. Congratulations on you're making the team." At this, Draco turned to glare at Harry.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry glared back. To his surprise, Draco looked hurt, almost sad at his returning look. Before Harry could say anything, however, Hooch's voice cut in. The sadness in Draco's eyes disappeared quickly.

"Neither of you will receive detention," Hooch said. "But if anything like this ever happens again, there will be no getting away from it."

* * *

><p>After the pain in his jaw became too unbearable, Harry asked to go to the hospital wing. On his way there, he replayed what happened in his mind. Even though he had no idea what he did wrong, he felt bad for whatever it was.<p>

"By Merlin!" Gasped Madam Pompfrey when we walked into her office. "What happened to you, Mr. Potter?"

Harry hesitated. Part of him wanted Draco to pay for punching him, but the other part of him knew it would only destroy their friendship further.

"I was riding a broom," He explained. "When I came back to the ground, the handle of the broom hit my jaw." If she seemed suspicious, she didn't show it.

"All right," She brought out her wand. "I'll fix it, and you'll be back in time for dinner."

Harry wasn't sure he wanted to go to dinner. He briefly considered just going back down to the dungeons, but his grumbling stomach got the better of him.

When he walked into the Great Hall, his eyes found Draco at the Slytherin table. He almost began to walk over there, but he stopped himself. While Crabbe and Goyle may be his friends as well, they were more friends with Draco.

Finally, he sat down next to a second year Slytherin girl. She was very pretty, with long, blonde hair, and pale green eyes. She smiled at him when he sat down, turning away from her friends.

After a few minutes of just eating, the girl cleared her throat.

"Hi," She said, sticking out her hand to Harry. "Don't you usually sit with that Malfoy kid?" She gestured towards the other end of the table where Draco was sitting.

"Oh, er…" Harry was at a loss for words.

"My name's Ana, by the way." The girl said, her wide eyes sparkling.

"I'm Harry." Harry said, smiling. "Harry Potter."

"Oh, I know who you are, Harry. It was just a matter of time before we became friends." The girl- Ana- said, laughing. "So are you and the Malfoy kid dating or something?" Ana asked bluntly.

Harry was so taken aback by the question that he choked on the pumpkin juice he was drinking. He and Draco- _dating_? The idea was very laughable- but Harry didn't laugh.

"Me a-and Draco?" He sputtered. "No! Of course not. Where would you get that idea?" He could feel his neck and face growing hot, and, no doubt, red.

"Calm down, Harry- you don't want to choke." Ana said softly. "I was just asking, don't worry." Harry sighed. Why had he acted so crazy? It wasn't as if they _were_ dating or anything.

"No- he's just my best friend." Harry stated. Then he grew sad. "At least, he was. I'm not so sure anymore."

At Ana's questioning look, Harry proceeded to tell her the story of what had happened that day. When he reached the end, Ana had her hand over her mouth.

"He just _punched_ you?" She gasped. Harry nodded solemnly. Ana looked like she was going to say something else, but her friend bumped her arm.

"Annie, we've gotta go start our homework and get to bed." She said. "Are you coming? Remember- we have Quidditch practice tomorrow." Ana nodded her head and stood up.

"You coming, Harry?" She asked, smiling. Harry nodded and stood up as well.

Before they left the Hall, Harry looked down the table to see Draco staring at him. Noticing that Harry was looking at him, Draco started to shake his head slowly. Harry was about to walk over to him, when he noticed Pansy sitting right on top of- ahem, _next to_ Draco. He narrowed his eyes and turned, following Ana and her friends out.

* * *

><p>After about 40 minutes of Ana and Harry studying together, Draco had walked in with Crabbe, Goyle, and- regrettably- Pansy.<p>

Harry rolled his eyes before returning to his work. Draco looked at him sadly before his eyes met Ana's. She smiled evilly, with a glint in her eyes that could only be described as pure hatred, before winking sarcastically.

'Got him.' She mouthed to Draco from across the room. Draco started to walk over to them, but she shook her head, smiling.

'What would Daddy say?' Then she turned back to her work.

Harry, who was totally oblivious as to what just happened, looked up and remembered something.

"Ana- you and your friend are on the Quidditch team?" He asked her.

Ana smiled. "Yeah, Alex and I are the Beaters." She said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just that Draco and I are on the team as well." He smiled widely.

"Oh, yeah." Ana smiled. "I'll show you the ropes at practice tomorrow."

Ana opened her mouth to say something else when a loud whistle cut through the common room. They both looked over to the girl with deep red hair – Ana's friend.

"Annie!" She called over everyone. "C'mon! Practice tomorrow!"

"I'm coming, Lexie!" Ana yelled back. She turned back to Harry. "Well, I've got to get to bed. See you tomorrow at practice?" Harry nodded.

Ana turned and walked across the room to Alex. She whispered something to Alex, and then they both walked through the girl's door and disappeared.

Harry, feeling all of the day's events crashing down on him, decided to go to bed. He started to pack all of his books, parchment, quills, ink, etc. into his bag. When they were all secured, he started to walk over to the door to the boys dormitories.

"Harry!" Harry stopped. He knew that voice, but he wasn't in the mood to talk to its owner. He turned around to face Draco, expecting to see a smirk on his face.

However, Draco looked concerned. Noticing the tension between the two boys, many of the remaining Slytherins left to go to their rooms. The ones that stayed kept their faces down and pretended to not be listening.

"What do you want, Draco?" Harry tried to sound as nice as possible.

"Harry, that girl you were talking to- do you know who she is?" Draco sounded really scared.

"Uh, yeah?" Harry said uncertainly. "Her name's Ana. She's a second year."

"Yes- Ana _Nolen._" Draco said exasperatedly.

"So?" Harry could not see where this was going.

"So- she can't be trusted!" Draco said. Harry's eyes widened. He couldn't believe Draco was telling him that he couldn't trust someone.

"How _dare_ you?" Harry yelled at Draco. "_She's_ not the one who pretended to be my best friend," Draco flinched at these words. "And then punch me in the face out of NOWHERE and won't tell me why!"

Draco's eyes darkened at the mention of his earlier actions. He opened and closed his mouth several times.

"If you're SO concerned with my well-being, why the bloody hell did you decide to break my jaw earlier?"

"I've been practicing my whole life, Harry!" Draco yelled suddenly. "I grew up with magic, and flying, and you just waltz in and steal the spot I've been training my whole life for!"

Harry laughed, he couldn't help himself. "_That's_ what you were mad about?" He yelled. "Take it! Take the spot if it means so much to you. I didn't realise it was more important than our frienship." He said acidly, before turning and walking to the door.

"Harry, I'm serious." Draco's desperate voice carried to Harry's ears. "Even if you don't want to be friends with me anymore, you _can't _trust Ana!"

Harry turned around sharply and started at Draco.

"I'll trust who I want, thanks." He said icily. "Too bad I was wrong when I chose to trust you."


	4. Alone

**A/N: So, I wrote this over the course of 3 days. And I haven't eaten anything today just to finish it for you guys! :D by the way, I just saw Woman In Black on Friday- so as I wrote this, I kept seeing Daniel… ): enjoy! **

The next morning, Harry woke up expecting Draco to be urging him awake so they could go eat breakfast. But Draco was nowhere to be seen. Harry sat up and looked around at each of the beds in his dormitory.

To his right, Crabbe and Goyle were snoring quite loudly, both in weird angles on their beds. Across the room, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott were awake and conversing quietly with each other. And the bed right next to his was empty.

Harry sighed as the memories from the previous day came back to him. Blaise and Theodore both looked at him sympathetically and went back to their discussion.

"Thanks, guys," Harry said under his breath. He stretched and pulled back the covers on his bed. Then he remembered: he had Quidditch practice today! He was briefly excited, that is until he remembered how brutal the game was supposed to be.

He quickly got dressed and went to the common room. Maybe he could catch up with Ana and have her give him a few tips.

When he walked into the common room, the first thing he noticed was Draco. He almost walked right over to him, but stopped himself. They weren't friends anymore.

'_We're not friends anymore,_' He thought, '_… Are we?_'

He looked at Draco again. He was reading a book in a black armchair. He seemed very enthralled by it- almost like a Ravenclaw.

Harry snorted, and Draco looked up. Their eyes met, and both of them were about to yell apologies at each other when Ana and Alex popped up next to Harry.

"Hey, Harry!" Ana said brightly. She was wearing an emerald sweater, black jeans, and black shoes. Her hair was in a ponytail, which, Harry thought, really showed off her eyes.

"Hey, Ana." Harry said, smiling. He looked at Alex. "Hi, Alex." Alex seemed surprised for a moment, but it passed immediately as a smile graced her face.

"Hello, Harry." She said, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Care to join us? We were just going to head to breakfast." Ana chirped.

"Sure," Harry said. "Maybe you can tell me a little more about Quidditch."

Just before they walked out, Harry caught Draco's eye.

'_I'm sorry._' He mouthed, then turned and followed Ana and Alex out.

* * *

><p><strong>[DRACO'S POV]<strong>

Draco stared, dumbfounded, at the spot where Harry just stood. Had Harry _really_ just ended their friendship? Had Draco just ruined it all with his mouth?

He stood there, going over his actions, regretting every minute of the whole day. Finally, he figured he should get some sleep. He trudged to the door and walked to his dormitory.

Harry, Crabbe, and Goyle were already asleep. Theo was reading a book, and Blaise was no doubt somewhere with Alex.

Draco shuddered. Ana and Alex were evil. He couldn't believe they were actually going through with Ana's mother's plan. Draco would find a way to expose them to Harry. Maybe tomorrow, everything would go back to normal.

He should've known even _that_ was asking too much.

He woke the next morning to find everyone still asleep. He looked at his watch and sighed. It was 5:30.

Draco showered and dressed before going to the common room and sitting in his favorite chair. Someone had left a copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ on the table next to him. He picked it up and began reading.

Soon, he became so enthralled; he didn't even notice people entering the common room around him. He was halfway through 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' when he heard someone snort, no doubt at him.

He looked up and met Harry's eyes. He couldn't even say anything. Harry looked about to say something, so Draco prepared to apologise.

Then Ana stepped in.

Draco watched as she and Alex talked to Harry; he watched as Harry smiled and talked back. It was like a personal blow. When Harry agreed to go eat with them, Draco had to refrain from going and slapping Ana across the face.

He was about to stand up and slap another innocent first year instead, when Harry stopped and caught Draco's eye purposefully. Draco's breathing quickened, and he had a huge lump in his throat.

'_Crap._' He thought. '_Here we go- another fight._'

But what Harry did was completely surprising.

'_I'm sorry._' He mouthed.

And then he was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>[HARRY'S POV]<strong>

This was it.

It was time for the first Quidditch practice.

Harry had spent the entire day with Ana, Alex, and Blaise. They had sat by a tree on the lake shore, talking, laughing, and becoming friends. Alex and Blaise were so obviously together; it was painful to watch them try to pretend to just be friends.

They had all talked about Quidditch, mostly. Blaise wasn't on the team, but he told them all to win because he was betting on them.

"I'd say that we're a safe bet, hope it's a big one." Alex winked.

Ana and Harry looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Alex started blushing. Blaise looked very confused, but when Alex started giggling, he started too. They all spent much of the afternoon this way, but now it was time for the thing Harry had both anticipated and dreaded for the past 24 hours.

"Harry," Ana's voice pulled Harry out of his thoughts. "Harry! _Come on!"_

Harry ran to catch up with Ana and Alex as they made their way to the Quidditch field.

He stood in the huge mass of green and gawped. The countless stands and goal posts- he counted 6 of these- had to be about 50 feet up in the air!

"Potter! Malfoy!" Marcus Flint's voice brought him back to the present. He looked to the middle of the field where the rest of the team was.

Made up entirely of 2nd-7th years, the entire Slytherin Quidditch team was staring at him. His eyes went over Ana, Alex, Marcus, another red-headed girl, and a tall boy with intimidating brown eyes and black hair before they rested on Draco.

The last 24 hours dropped down on Harry like a 20 ton anvil. He swallowed a couple of times, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. Draco had seen him apologise, so hopefully everything would go back to normal soon.

"Oi," Flint said, and Harry's eyes snapped back to him. "Potter and Malfoy will be with me, and the rest of you get to the drills."

The rest of the team flew into the air, except Ana and Alex.

"Marcus, I can just show Harry and Malfoy the basics," Ana began. "If you just want to start with the rest of the team." Flint sighed, as if he had already had this conversation many time before.

"No, Ana." He said. "Get to the drills with the rest of them."

Ana looked disappointed and then angry, before her nonchalant mask returned. She and Alex glared at Flint before kicking off and joining the team.

Harry looked at Ana's retreating form, then at Flint, and finally at Draco.

He sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>After that first practice, Harry's life started to get weird.<p>

First of all Ana was showing up everywhere he went. Sometimes, she was even waiting for him when he exited the bathroom.

Then, Hermione kept finding him n the library, and sitting with him. Not that he minded- he could use a very clever friend like her.

Professor Quirrell took a particular interest in him as well. He was always calling on him in class ("M-M-M-Mr. P-P-Potter, c-could you p-please tell m-me what the disarming s-spell is?"), and patting him on the back in the hallways or at mealtime.

Harry decided that since he and Draco still weren't getting along well, he needed to make more friends. Since Crabbe and Goyle were out of the question, and he already had Slytherin friends, he would go and start talking to Ron and Hermione. He needed Hermione's smarts, and he needed Ron's… Well, he'd find out what Ron was good for in time.

"Hermione!" Harry called out in the hallway one day. It was a week until Halloween, and everyone was chatting excitedly about what was going to happen.

Harry was walking towards the Great Hall for lunch- it was a rare day when Ana wasn't with him- when he saw her, hunched over, speaking with Ron in the hallway. Seeing this as his chance, he ran over to them.

"Oh, hello, Harry," Hermione said, smiling. "Ron and I were just talking about the Halloween feast. Care to join us?"

Harry smiled smugly. His plan was already working.

"Of course, I'd love to." He looked at Ron, who, thankfully, wasn't gaping at him.

"Ron, this is Harry." Hermione said.

"I know who he is!" Ron snapped, his ears red. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I know that, Ronald," She said impatiently. "But Harry doesn't know who _you_ are."

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said. "And you are?" He put out his hand for good measure.

Ron stared at his hand for a few moments before breaking into a grin.

"I'm Ron Weasley!" Ron said, shaking Harry's hand.

"Shall we go eat lunch or something?" Hermione asked. Harry smiled at her and nodded.

They had just started to walk to the Great Hall when they all heard a yell.

"Harry!"

* * *

><p><strong>[DRACO'S POV]<strong>

Draco didn't know why he did it, but he ignored Harry throughout the entire Quidditch practice. He was afraid, he supposed; he was afraid to look at Harry. If he did, he would start yelling apologies, and he was supposed to keep a cool exterior. He was a Slytherin, after all, and a Malfoy as well.

But as he watched Harry walk off the field with Ana, he realised:

'_Screw cool exterior._'

He would apologise. He wanted his best friend back.

So, every time he saw Harry- in the hallways, in classes, at meals, in bed- he would try to apologise. His plans would always fail, however, because Ana always seemed to be with him.

'_Damn that girl._' Draco thought every time he saw her with Harry. '_She always makes everything so hard!_'

Finally, Draco saw Harry walking alone. He was about to run over to him, when Harry ran over to Granger and Weasley. He seemed really friendly with them, and Harry was just about to walk away with them when Draco realised this could be his last chance for a while.

"Harry!" Draco yelled, and cringed as everyone turned to look at him. He ran over to where Harry stood looking at him, feeling embarrassed at his sudden action.

What was he going to say? How was he going to say it? How would Harry take it? Would this backfire?

"I'm sorry." Draco blurted out. "I'm sorry for everything. The punch, the silent treatment, telling you who to trust- everything. I just want us to be friends again!"

After his little speech, Draco couldn't look at Harry. Instead, he studied Harry's sneakers. It was interesting how they were tied. It looked like he had tied them by hand, not magic. Why would he do that? It wastes a lot of time and-

"I forgive you."

* * *

><p><strong>[HARRY'S POV]<strong>

After Harry had accepted Draco's apology, they, along with Ron and Hermione, walked to the Great Hall for lunch. Ron and Hermione went to the right for the Gryffindor table, and Harry followed Draco to the left.

Harry could see Ana waving at him from the very end of the table, but he just smiled and continued to the middle with Draco. As he finally talked to Draco about everything that had happened, he smiled. He had his best friend back, and his first Quidditch game was next week. He could finally practice instead of pretending to ignore him.

Everything was fine, if just for that moment.

* * *

><p>A week passed, and finally, it was Halloween. Everyone was getting jittery and no one paid attention in class.<p>

Even the Ravenclaws were taking a break from studying and reading.

When the time finally came for the feast, even Draco couldn't sit still. When Dumbledore was giving his speech, Draco kept muttering under his breath. ("Hurry _up_, old man!" "Dear Merlin, we're all going to die if he talks any longer." "That's it- I'm going to hex him.") Harry had to physically hold him down as Dumbledore finished talking.

"Finally, let us eat!"

It was just like their first night at Hogwarts. The food appeared in the empty platters, and drinks appeared in the empty goblets. They spent at least five minutes filling up their plates, and had only just started eating when the doors of the Great Hall opened with a loud bang.

Everyone got silent and stared as Quirrell ran down the aisle towards the teachers' table.

"TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He yelled Dumbledore. "Thought you ought to know." Then he fainted.

The Hall was silent for about 3 seconds, before everyone started screaming. Well, almost everyone. Draco and Harry both sat there, calm, as everyone else tried to run for it.

"SILENCE!" The voice of Dumbledore carried through the screams and shouts. Everyone immediately became quiet. "I want you all to remain calm. You will follow your Heads of House to your common rooms. You will wait there until further instructions."

As the Slytherins were walking out, Harry and Draco ran into Ron. He looked extremely pale.

"What's going on, Ron?" Harry asked. He figured it was something more than the troll to make Ron look like that.

"It- it's Hermione." Ron swallowed. "Some Slytherin fifth year was bullying her earlier and she went into the girls bathroom and hasn't come out. Lavender Brown said she'd been in there crying."

Harry thought back to earlier that day. Jack Williams, one of the Slytherin Chasers, had been bragging about tormenting a Gryffindor first year to tears. It must have been Hermione.

"We'll go find her, Ron," Harry said, then looked at Draco, who nodded. "She'll be fine." Ron nodded, and then went with the rest of the Gryffindors.

Harry and Draco looked to make sure Snape wasn't watching, and then ran towards the girls' bathroom. When they ran in, however, the troll was already there.

Hermione walked out of the stall and looked at the troll, and then Harry and Draco. She then ran back into the stall.

The troll raised its huge club and smashed through all of the stalls. Draco and Harry could hear Hermione screaming and crying out for help. They picked up pieces of broken wood and started throwing them at the troll's head.

"Hermione- run!" Harry yelled to her. Hermione tried to run, but the troll was too quick. It picked her up and dangled her upside down.

"Harry!" She screamed. "HELP!"

The troll raised its club again and tried to hit her with it. She brought her head up just in time, though, and it missed.

Finally, Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at the troll.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club slipped out of the troll's hand and was levitated right above his head. It looked very confused for a moment, and then it looked up. Draco brought down his wand, and Harry watched as the club fell right on top of the troll's head, knocking it out. It dropped Hermione as it fell, and she landed very gracefully on her feet.

"Is it always going to be this exciting around you?" She said to Harry and Draco. They looked at each other and grinned.

"Probably." They said in unison.

* * *

><p>After the troll was taken care of, Snape led Draco and Harry away from Hermione and McGonagall, and towards the dungeons. As soon as they walked into the common room, Pansy bombarded Draco as Ana bombarded Harry.<p>

"HARRY!" Ana shrieked as she hugged him. "I was so worried about you!"

"I'm fine, Ana, I'm fine- don't worry!" Harry reassured her. "Why were you so worried anyway?" Ana blushed.

"I just… I care about you a lot." She said quietly, and then walked to the girls dormitories with Alex.

Harry sat there, immensely confused, until a voice brought him back to the present.

"It means she likes you." Harry turned to find Jack Williams staring at him. Harry was about to say something to him about Hermione, but he walked away.

'_Wait_.' Harry thought. '_Ana likes me_?'

Geeze.

* * *

><p><strong>p.s.: go and read "Heaven from Hell" by lucis rouge when you get the chance- she's the one who got me into Drarry or HPDM, whichever you prefer. It's a great story. Thanks (: <strong>


	5. Fly

**A/N: Hey there. So, I know I updated on Sunday, but this was in my mind and I just had to write it down. I hope you like it, it was fun to write and it seemed good in my mind! I'm not going to tell you to review, but if you didn't like it, tell me so I don't do anything like this again! Anyway, enjoy. :D **

* * *

><p>It was early November. It was November 2nd, to be exact. A thick fog had blanketed itself across the grounds as Harry walked through the empty hallways.<p>

Walking wasn't the correct term- he was more... floating. He floated down one corridor, which seemed open and light. But then, he turned the corner and was met with a dark and musty corridor. He kept floating on and on, but the end never seemed to get any closer.

Harry couldn't figure out why, but he wanted- no, _needed_ to get to the end. Someone he cared about was going to get hurt if he didn't.

Who did he need to save?

He couldn't remember having anyone to care about. He couldn't remember anything, actually. What was he doing here? What was this place?

Harry willed his mind to make him move forward. Somewhere, deep inside himself, he knew that this wasn't real. But closer to his brain and heart, a voice whispered, "They will die..."

"WHO WILL DIE?" Harry wanted to scream out, but when he opened his mouth, no sound would emerge.

And finally, Harry was going to give up. There was no way to move forward. There was no way to save whoever was going to die.

_'This isn't fair.'_ He thought. '_I need to save someone... but who's going to save me?_'

"I will." A voice, somewhere from in the fog that was creeping into the hallway, whispered to him. It was so strong, yet so small. Harry knew he would be fine as long as the owner of that voice was nearby.

"Find me," The voice spoke. "Find me, Harry. Remember me..." Harry started to feel panic grip his heart. Was his voice leaving?

_'Where are you?'_ Harry thought, knowing that words couldn't be spoken here._ 'Where are you?'_

But the voice didn't answer. Either it was gone, or it was taunting him. Harry could almost see the playful smirk on Draco's face.

DRACO!

Is _that_ who he was supposed to save? It made sense, considering he was Harry's best friend. But that would also mean Draco would die soon, and Harry sure as hell couldn't let _that_ happen.

"Atta boy, Harry..." The voice said happily. "You're so close now."

Finally, Harry started to move forward.

"No!" Another voice growled from somewhere behind Harry. "No, you can't. Don't you care more about me, Harry?"

Harry was so confused, he didn't know what to think. Who was this new voice? Why didn't they want him to save Draco?

_'I don't know you.'_ Harry thought.

A saccharine laugh reached Harry's ears.

"You know me, Harry." The new voice said. "You remember, don't you?" Ana came out of the mist. She looked like an angel. She was dressed in a short white dress, and her long blonde hair curled around her shoulders. Her usually light green eyes were now emerald, and they seemed to sparkle along with her smile.

But Harry knew that there was something underneath that smile- something wrong. As Ana came closer, Harry could see that her smile was evil, and her eyes glinted maliciously. The edges of her dress became black, and her hair grew wild.

_'Ana...'_ Harry thought. Ana's smile grew wider and more sadistic.

"Oh good, Harry- you remember." She said. "Don't you care about me? Don't you want to keep me safe?"

Harry swallowed hard. _'Of course I do, Ana,'_ He smiled, but it was forced._ 'But Draco is in danger. Can you help me find him?'_

She growled, baring her teeth. All traces of the angelic look she had were gone.

"No, Harry!" She yelled, coming even closer than before. She took a deep breath; when she spoke again, it sounded strained, and she was forcing herself to remain calm. "You can only have one of us, Harry. You cannot be with me if you want to be with him. This is the choice, and you don't have very much longer to make it."

_'What do you mean?'_

Ana smiled evilly again. She waved her hand against the mist, and it began to disappear.

"Take a look for yourself, Harry," She said. "Although, I'm not sure how much you'll like it."

As she turned away, the rest of the mist cleared. Ana was right- Harry didn't like what he saw. There, lying on the ground in a pool of blood, was Draco.

Harry couldn't tell if he was alive or dead at first, and a dread filled his heart like a huge weight. He felt as though something was closing his airway.

When Draco stirred slightly, Harry started breathing again- but it was cautious. He tried to move towards him, but it felt like he was swimming through tar. Why couldn't he move? He had to move! If he didn't move, he couldn't save Draco!

_'Move,'_ He urged his feet. _'Move! Please, please move.'_

"You see, Harry?" Ana's voice was soft, and she sounded sympathetic. "You have to choose- Me, or him." At this, Draco's eyes opened and he stood up.

"Harry," He began, looking smug. "I tricked you. I don't care about you at all. It was all a plan of my father's. 'Befriend Harry Potter.' He told me. 'We will be greatly rewarded by the Dark Lord in the end.' And we will, Harry." Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Draco-" He began, but Draco cut him off.

"I. Don't. Care. About. You." He growled. "I only used you so I could hand you in to Voldemort someday. Don't you understand that?" He smirked. "Of course you don't. You're too infatuated with Ana to even begin to understand." At this, his expression turned sad. "You can't even see what's right in front of you!"

"Draco..." Ana warned. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? I think Harry has heard enough." She smiled evilly again, the glint returning to her emerald eyes.

"No!" Draco yelled. Ana stopped smiling. "He hasn't heard enough, Ana!"

"Malfoy, be quiet." But it was as if Draco couldn't hear her anymore, because he turned back to Harry.

"Harry, you have to realise something. Someone in your life cares about you a whole lot more than they're showing." Draco started. Ana's rage was growing: it was rolling off of her in waves. "There's more than just Ana in your future. Listen, I don't have much time, but I have to tell you!" At this, Ana started to move towards Draco. "Ana is planning something bad- and you'll get hurt. I don't know how to say this, but I-" He was cut off as Ana backhanded him across the face, causing him to cry out in pain.

Ana stared down at his crumpled heap on the floor, looking ready to strike again at any moment. "Now, I don't know how you got in here, my dear Draco, but this is my dream. You're not allowed. Be quiet, and I'll consider letting you go in the real world." Ana growled out.

Harry noticed that her dress had turned completely black, and her hair was extremely wild. The way she carried herself made her look crazy, not beautiful.

_'Excuse me?'_ Harry thought, still not able to speak. _'But why do I have to choose between you two? Can't I have you both?'_ Draco and Ana both looked surprised at this, but quickly recovered.

"But, Harry," Ana smiled sweetly, her dress returning slowly to white. "Why do you want him, when you can have me?"

"Harry, don't listen to her!" Draco said, still gripping his face. Harry could see red liquid coming out from behind his fingers.

"Sh!" Ana said, glaring down at him. "You have no right to speak, you disgrace. I can't believe I have to call you family."

_'Wait- what?'_ Harry was very confused. They weren't related, were they?

"Oh, nothing, Harry- don't worry about things that _aren't important_." She emphasized the last two words, glaring at Draco.

"Harry..." Draco said weakly.

"How many times do I have to tell you to SHUT UP?" Ana growled. Then she sighed. "I hate doing this, but since it's you, I'm going to make an exception." She pulled out a long, silver blade she had hidden in her dress. She walked towards Draco, who looked terrified.

"No..." He whispered, his eyes wide. "Ana, don't. Please, Ana."

"You don't give me a choice, Draco." Ana sighed. "You ruined my dream, and now I'm going to have to obliviate him after I do this! And I do hate doing memory charms, you know I do." Ana leaned down so the knife was resting right on Draco's heart. "Goodbye, Draco Malfoy."

"Harry!" Draco gasped.

_'Draco?'_

Then, Ana raised the blade above her head and brought it down quickly. Harry just caught the words on the knife before it buried itself in Draco's chest, making him scream.

Tenebris vincit omnes.

* * *

><p>Harry awoke, screaming and covered in sweat. He looked up, and saw Ana standing over him with her wand in one hand, and a long dagger, which was crimson, in the other.<p>

He looked towards Draco's bed and, seeing it was empty, looked to the floor. Draco was lying there, just like in Harry's dream- covered in blood. He gasped, horrified.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Ana breathed, and pointed her wand at his head. Harry knew what she was going to do. He looked down at the knife, covered in Draco's blood- only now the writing wasn't in Latin, but in English.

"Ana?"

"Obliviate."

Dark conquers all.


	6. Secrets

The first thing that Harry woke up to was a shape- distorted because he didn't have his glasses on- with long blonde hair slipping out of the dormitory. Harry tried to remember what was happening, but unconsciousness was grabbing him, forcing him back to sleep. The last thing Harry remembered was a loud gasp and several voices saying the same name.

"_Draco!"_

* * *

><p>Harry yawned before he opened his eyes. He didn't want to get up yet- it was Sunday, the last day before classes started again. He contemplated just going back to sleep, but his grumbling stomach had other plans.<p>

Harry rubbed his eyes and looked around. Without his glasses, all he saw were a bunch of blobs. Sighing, he sat up and reached for his glasses, which were lying on his nightstand. Right as he put them on, his vision became clear.

And all of the blobs- now people- rushed at him.

The first one to reach him was Alex. He saw a flash of red before becoming engulfed in her hug.

"Harry!" It was Blaise. "Harry, what happened? Do you remember anything?" Harry looked up at him over Alex's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" He gasped out. "Alex- I can't b-breath."

"Oh!" Alex gasped, letting go of him, but sitting down next to him instead.

"Guys, what happened?" Harry questioned. Alex and Blaise exchanged a look, and then Blaise nodded. Alex turned towards Harry, putting her indifferent face on.

"Harry, I need you to promise me that you will sit here and listen until I'm done. Okay? You can't run out or yell anything, and you _can't_ hurt anyone. Got it?" When Harry nodded, she took a deep breath. "Last night- well, more this morning, Draco was attacked."

Harry felt a familiar dread fill him. Draco: attacked? Was he alright? Where was he? Who attacked him? All of these questions threatened to slip out, but he maintained his cool exterior.

Alex must have seen all of his conflicting emotions in his eyes, because she looked concerned.

"We don't know who attacked him, just that it was done with very Dark magic. He was stabbed with-" Suddenly, there was the loud noise of someone clearing their throat from the doorway. Harry, Alex, Blaise, Theodore, and Crabbe all looked towards the noise.

Jack Williams and Ramona Slater were staring at them. Jack looked at Alex and gestured for her to come over to him. Alex stood up and walked over to him slowly; as though she was scared he would hurt her.

Jack and Alex started whispering with their heads bent together. Jack looked extremely angry and accusing, while Alex looked oblivious and innocent. They were both gesturing a lot with their hands, and the looks on their faces changed every few seconds. Finally, Jack pointed his finger in Alex's face- saying something apparently final- and pulled Ramona out with him.

Alex looked after them for a few moments before turning back to the group by the bed.

"Alex?" Harry called. "Alex, what was that?" Alex smiled a _very_ convincing smile, but Harry was too good at seeing people's actual emotions to believe she was actually fine. He decided to ask her about it later, since the real problem right now was Draco.

"Alex, where is Draco now?" Harry questioned, as if he believed her smile.

"He and Goyle are in the hospital wing. Don't worry," she added, seeing his face. "Goyle isn't hurt. He's just keeping Draco company. We wanted you to calm down before you went and saw him. If you're excited, he'll get excited, and we don't want him to hurt himself more. Okay?"

Harry took a couple of deep breaths to let his anger subside, and then he nodded.

"Okay. Get dressed and we'll meet you in the common room so we can go eat. Hurry up."

With that, all five of his friends got up and walked out.

* * *

><p><strong>[DRACO'S POV]<strong>

The pain was unbearable.

Everything in his world was pain.

Eleven-year-olds were _not_ supposed to experience this kind of pain. This pain was like a Cruciatus that was amplified a million times over.

Draco would know, he'd felt the curse many times before- mostly at the hand of Ana and her _mother_. He could almost hear the taunting, evil voice now.

Almost.

Right now, his mind was screaming other things. Ana had stabbed him with the knife- _the_ knife. None of them were supposed to use it, let alone have it with them in _Hogwarts._ Ana was much darker and more powerful than he had ever imagined.

And now, he was lying on the floor like a helpless little kid, and Ana was obliviating his best friend. He could do nothing to stop her, nothing to help Harry.

He was pathetic.

All he could do was watch as Ana slipped away, completely fine, while Harry's mind had been altered, and his own body wounded. He knew he needed help- as quickly as possible- but he couldn't move. Couldn't yell, couldn't talk, couldn't think.

He could barely hear footsteps clambering down the hallway to the room. He didn't notice when Alex, Blaise, and Theo all burst through the door. He didn't acknowledge anything when Snape and Dumbledore showed up, panic written in their eyes. He didn't cry out in pain when they carried him to the hospital wing. He didn't object when Madam Pompfrey forced Dreamless Sleep potion down his throat. He didn't do anything, because he only had one thought: the last thought before he fell into the world of blackness.

_'Harry.'_

* * *

><p>When Draco woke up, he was instantly aware of the pain in his chest. He felt for the bandage, and cried out when there was none. He could feel his ripped flesh, and he could feel the pain that came with it.<p>

Then he remembered: he should be _dead_. That knife _should _have killed him. He shouldn't be here, in a hospital bed, listening to Goyle's snores coming from the chair next to him.

A swell of gratitude formed inside of him, but he kept it hidden, even though there was no one to notice.

"…a reason we check every person who enters those doors, Albus! This could have been prevented!"

"I understand that, Severus, but no one could have done this without being extremely powerful and _extremely _Dark. I highly doubt any student fits either of those categories, so no amount of searching could have prevented this."

Draco listened to the approaching voices, and at the last minute decided to pretend to be asleep. Dumbledore and Snape strolled through the doors of the hospital wing, still talking. Draco listened to their argument, deciding that he would supply input if it was needed.

"How about Jack Williams? His parents are _personal friends_ of the Dark Lord." Snape implied.

"As were you, Severus. And you still are. That does not mean that your child would be evil enough to stab another student with a knife laced with Dark magic." Dumbledore spoke softly, afraid of being heard.

"Alright, well how about Ana Nolen? Or Alex Hipes? They have grown up being trained in Dark Arts by Ana's mother. You _know_ who Ana's mother is, Albus. Don't be foolish." If he had not been acting, Draco would have snorted. Acting foolishly was Dumbledore's specialty. He doubted anything would stop him from that.

"I do know who Ana's mother is. But I also know who Draco's parents are, as do you, and neither of us believes he is evil, or has Dark magic in his mind. He has no Dark intent."

"Yes, but he is the victim here, not the suspect! He was stabbed, and you're doing nothing to try to determine what happened!" Snape was fighting to keep his voice down and his emotions concealed, Draco could tell.

"You must remember that you are talking about children in your own House, Severus. Why do you think we are here? I set wards so that I would know when Draco was awake. We're here to talk to him." Dumbledore spoke as if this were fun to him.

_'Shit.'_ Draco thought. He figured that now was the time to open his eyes, since they already knew he was awake.

Dumbledore was looking down at him with amusement, and Snape with indifference.

"Hello, Professors," Draco said politely, but inside, he was screaming to tell them all about Ana and her plan.

"Ah, Draco," Dumbledore began. "I see that you want to tell us something- but all in good time, all in good time."

Had Draco not known how to keep an indifferent face, his jaw would be on the ground right now. He had to fight his emotions to keep from blowing up in Dumbledore's face.

"What _else_ did we come here for, Albus?" Snape said, not bothering to keep his cool exterior anymore. "If Draco needs to tell us something, I'm sure it's important."

"Not yet, Severus," Dumbledore said, completely oblivious to the two glares he was receiving. "We need to make sure he was not too affected by the blade."

Snape sighed, and, knowing this was a battle he was going to lose, nodded. Dumbledore smiled and clapped his hands together, the sound echoing all around the vast room.

"Splendid. Now, Draco, what year at Hogwarts are you in?" Dumbledore questioned, sitting down at the foot of Draco's bed.

Draco blinked a few times. Was he serious? Seeing Dumbledore staring intently at him, he decided that it was serious.

"I am in my first year at Hogwarts." Draco spoke clearly.

"What is your favorite class here?"

"Potions."

"And who is the teacher of that subject?"

"Professor Snape, sir."

"Where are the meals eaten?"

"The Great Hall."

"What position do you play in Quidditch, Draco?" This question was from Snape, whose eyes were boring into Draco's.

"Chaser, sir." Draco said calmly.

"And when is the first game of the year?" Draco was silent for a few moments as he remembered when it was.

"The first game is Saturday, sir." Then Draco realised what he said. The first game was _Saturday!_ And he was lying here, in the _hospital wing!_ "When do I get out of here, Professor?" He asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled. "All in good time." Then, he stood up and walked to the door. As he opened it, he turned around. "Your parents have been notified of your predicament. I asked them to come, but they had business to attend to. Would you like to go there instead?"

Draco was extremely irritated that Dumbledore wouldn't answer any of his questions, but this startled him. Go and visit his parents? Ha! He spent most of his life trying to get away from them, he wasn't going to just waltz back into their non-welcoming arms.

"No." He said, the anger apparent in his voice. "I do not want to go and visit my parents."

Dumbledore must not have heard him- or was ignoring him- because he said, "I'll give you time to think about it." Then he was gone.

Snape scoffed, then turned to Draco.

"That old man's poor judgment is going to get us all killed." He said, his distaste of the man showing in his face and voice. "You're being released on Wednesday, Draco."

Relief filled Draco's mind.

"I'll be able to play, right?" He said uncertainly. "We've been practising so hard- we can't let a near-death situation stop us from winning the game!"

"Yes Draco, you're playing." Snape said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Now, I want you to tell me who did this to you."

Right as he finished speaking, the doors of the hospital wing flew open, and Harry came running in. Alex, Blaise, Theo, and Crabbe weren't far behind. The bang of the doors had woken up Goyle, and he jumped out of his chair as if he were going to fight someone. He saw it was Harry, though, and settled back down into the chair.

When Harry reached Draco's bed, he didn't even stop to catch his breath.

"I'll kill them! I'll kill whoever did this to you!" He shouted. "I don't care if it's a friend or an enemy- I swear on my life I'll kill them!" The look in his eyes was murderous, and Draco had no doubt that Harry could kill Ana at this moment.

"Mr. Potter, you will not talk about killing other students." Snape said, but Draco knew he was thinking the same thing.

"So it was another student?" Harry was fighting to keep calm- Draco could see it in his eyes.

"We don't know that, but I certainly think so." As he said this, Snape's eyes flickered to Alex. No one seemed to notice but Draco. They looked at each other, and Draco shook his head. Snape looked curious for a moment, but then the door to the hospital wing banged open and McGonagall walked in.

"Professor Snape, your assistance is required in the dungeons." She said, walking towards them. "Peeves apparently spilled an unknown potion on Marcus Flint as he was walking to the Slytherin common room. We had Quirrel try, but he couldn't reverse the affects." Snape looked mutinous for a moment, then turned to Draco.

"I'll be back for you on Wednesday." The way he spoke made Draco believe that they were not done with their discussion. Then he followed McGonagall out the door, closing it behind them.

After Snape was out of the wing, Harry looked at Draco in a way even Draco couldn't decipher.

"I'm going to ask you a question." Harry said slowly. "And I want you to answer with the truth. I don't care how bad the truth is, I want to hear it. Okay?" Draco nodded, even though he knew what was coming. "Who did this to you?"

Draco swallowed. This was his chance. For a month, he had been waiting for opportunities like this. He could expose Ana _and_ Alex for who they were, and Harry would finally believe him.

But could he do it? Could he ruin the friendships Harry had made with both Ana and Alex?

Harry would be in danger if he didn't.

Everyone seemed to be waiting on the edge of their seats, and the tension in the room was growing at an alarming rate.

Harry must have noticed the war going on in his mind, because he sat down next to him on the bed.

"Draco…" He began.

"I…" Draco said, but he couldn't say anything.

* * *

><p><strong>[HARRY'S POV]<strong>

Harry was trying to stay calm as he ate breakfast. He was doing a pretty fine job at it- until he realised that whoever did this to Draco was most likely a student. A student very close to Draco.

Now it was war.

How could someone do that to their friend? It was pure evil. Then again, whatever Draco had been stabbed with was pure evil.

As he ran out of the Great Hall and towards the hospital wing, Harry could hear all of his friends calling his name. He didn't answer. As he ran down the hallway to the wing, he passed Dumbledore, who looked far too happy.

He burst through the door and had been planning to calm himself down before he said anything, but seeing Draco in a hospital bed completely helpless pushed him over the edge.

"I'll kill them! I'll kill whoever did this to you!" He shouted as soon as he reached Draco's bed. "I don't care if it's a friend or an enemy- I swear on my life I'll kill them!"

"Mr. Potter, you will not talk about killing other students." Snape said. Anger boiled inside of Harry.

"So it _was_ another student?" He tried to keep his cool, but it was very difficult when the person who almost killed Draco was still in the school somewhere.

"We don't know that, but I certainly think so." The door to the hospital wing banged open and McGonagall walked in.

"Professor Snape, your assistance is required in the dungeons." She said, walking towards them. "Peeves apparently spilled an unknown potion on Marcus Flint as he was walking to the Slytherin common room. We had Quirrel try, but he couldn't reverse the affects." Snape looked mutinous for a moment, then turned to Draco.

"I'll be back for you on Wednesday." He followed McGonagall out the door, closing it behind them.

As soon as Snape was gone, Harry knew that he needed to ask Draco. He could see it in Draco's eyes that he knew who did this to him.

But when he asked, it was like there was a war going on inside of Draco. He wanted to tell, but it would hurt someone if he did.

Harry sat down slowly on Draco's bed.

"Draco…" Harry thought that if he gave Draco an extra push, he could get it out of him.

Draco looked into Harry's eyes and sighed.

"I…" He began, then looked like he was struggling to say anything. "I can't tell you..."

"_What?"_ Harry yelled. "What do you mean, you can't tell me?"

"I _mean_," Draco said, looking into Harry's eyes again. "I can't form the words. They put a curse on me... I can't say their name."


	7. Whatever You're Doing

**WARNING: this has 'grown-up' language in it. **

* * *

><p>The time from Sunday to Wednesday was extremely long and painful for Harry. He had gone to see Draco right before lunch and before dinner every day, but Draco was standing his ground. No matter what Harry said or did, Draco wouldn't, or <em>couldn't<em> reveal who had done this to him.

It was simply maddening to Harry. He had no one to sit next to in classes or at mealtimes. Ana had disappeared to Merlin knows where, and Alex and Blaise were too busy having eye-sex with each other to notice him.

Life, it seemed, would never be fair for him. First, he made a friend but lost him. Then, he got the friend back and the friend almost died. By some cruel twist of fate, Harry imagined that everyone in the world would get some sick disease, and he would be the left alone on this planet.

Harry sighed. Draco knew who had done this to him. _Why_ couldn't he tell him? Harry knew it was another student as well. Draco had said that the person had put a spell on him of some sort, but there were other ways to reveal the person, weren't there?

He looked around the Great Hall on Tuesday night while everyone enjoyed their dinner. Harry wanted everyone to realise that he was miserable. He wanted everyone to feel his pain. He just started to think of ways to make everyone suffer when someone plopped down next to him on the bench.

"Hi, Harry," Harry didn't have time to process who had spoken to him, because a second later someone's lips brushed lightly against his cheek and he found himself thinking of Draco.

When he turned, however, he was met with green eyes and blonde hair. His racing heart dropped to his feet, but he kept his indifferent mask on.

"Hi, Ana," he said, keeping his voice light. "Where've you been?"

Ana waved him off while taking a drink. "Oh, my mother needed me for something at home for a few days." She said this so indifferently that it sounded like she was speaking of a rumour she had heard, not an actual experience.

"I've been alone for the past three days!" Harry was highly annoyed at her blasé manner of speaking. "You couldn't have told me where you were going? You couldn't have left me a note?"

Something unidentifiable passed through Ana's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Is that so?" She said, her eyes glinting maliciously. "Pray tell, what happened to dear little Draco?"

Harry opened his mouth to tell Ana what had happened, but a gasp interrupted him. He and Ana both turned their heads to look across the table. Alex and Blaise were staring at them.

"Ana..." Alex began.

Harry looked from Ana to Alex, and then at Blaise. He looked terrified behind his indifferent expression. Harry looked at Ana again. Her evil eyes softened as they looked into Alex's. Harry needed to break the tension. He cleared his throat cautiously.

"Er..."

Harry didn't get to say anything, though, because Ana had somehow managed to get across the table and was now hugging Alex. Neither of them was showing emotion on their faces, but they were both squeezing each other very tightly.

"I guess _some_ Slytherins can show emotions more than others." came a very high-pitched haughty voice from behind Harry. Ana and Alex quickly broke apart and looked to someone standing behind him. He reluctantly turned around slowly.

The owner of the annoying voice was Pansy Parkinson. He should've known.

"What do you want, Pansy?" He asked coolly. "I'm trying to enjoy my dinner."

Pansy snorted. "I've been watching you my entire way to the table. You were talking, and then you were staring."

"I'll ask you again, Parkinson." Harry spoke irritably. Leave it to Pansy to completely ruin a night. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"I don't want anything, not from _you_ anyway," Pansy sniffed, "I don't want to get _Mudblood_ germs on myself."

"What do you mean Mudblood germs? What's she talking about, Harry?" Ana had decided to join the conversation.

Pansy looked absolutely delighted to be the one to convey this information.

"Haven't you heard?" She said, malice dripping off of her every word. "Our dear Slytherin leader is dating the _Gryffindor Mudblood._"

Ana's eyes widened and she turned to Harry in disbelief.

"Harry," she said loudly. "_Tell_ me it's not true! _Tell_ me you're not dating that Mudblood!" Harry flinched.

"I'm not _dating_ her, we're just friends," he spoke loudly. "I could use her intelligence! You're not always going to be around, Ana!" By this time, all of the Slytherin and some of the Ravenclaw tables were staring at them.

Harry whirled on Pansy.

"How did _you_ know about my friendship with Granger?" He shot at her.

"Oh, I was just up to see Draco," Pansy sighed. "He was awfully lonely up there. You haven't been to see him since-"

"Before lunch," Harry interrupted. "I know when I last saw him, thanks." Anger welled inside Harry. Pansy had been to see _Draco?_ What did that cow think she was doing? Everyone knew to tell Harry if they were going to see Draco. Who did she think she was?

"Who do you think you are?" Alex said suddenly, as if she was reading Harry's mind. "You can't just 'go and see' Draco without Harry's permission."

Pansy scoffed, "Like you have any authority over me," she said, brushing them off. "I'll do whatever I like."

"You're not going to get away with this, Parkinson," Alex growled.

Pansy snorted again and flounced away towards her group of friends down the table. Harry, Alex, and Blaise watched her with hate-filled eyes.

No one noticed as Ana slipped away.

* * *

><p><strong>DRACO'S POV<strong>

'_Tomorrow_,' Draco thought on Tuesday night. '_Tomorrow and I'll have to see Harry, but not be able to tell him. What am I going to do?_

Draco shifted in his bed in the hospital wing. He could understand why Harry would be angry or annoyed. If this had happened to Harry, Draco would've gone to hell and back to figure out who had done it. And if Harry knew, but wouldn't tell him...

But Draco _couldn't_ tell Harry, not wouldn't. He definitely would if Ana hadn't put a damn spell on him! Draco had faith in Harry, though. If Harry wanted something bad enough, he would find a way to get it.

There was another problem. Where was Ana? Draco had expected to see her the moment everyone knew he was awake. When Harry told him that he needed to know who had done this to him, he could hardly believe it. Had Ana not told Harry to stay away from him?

Draco needed to find out where she was. He needed to know what she was doing. But most of all, he needed to get her out of this school and away from Harry. There weren't many ways to do that if it didn't involve hurting Ana, but no matter...

"Hello, Draco," an angelic voice broke him from his thoughts. He turned over in his uncomfortable bed to find Ana standing there, holding out her wand with light emitting from the tip.

Hate boiled in Draco's stomach. Here, like she had done nothing wrong, stood his attempted murderer. He could have dealt with the fact that one of his childhood best friends was trying to kill him. It was bound to happen someday- after the _incident_. Plus, he always figured they would get jealous of his family's power in Voldemort's ranks.

That was before he realised how _big_ his 'family' was, and how _wrong_ Voldemort was. Now, he figured they would try to kill him out of anger, or just for fun.

He could have _dealt_ with that. But he couldn't _deal_ with them also trying to kill his present best friend.

"I see you've mastered the _Lumos_ charm," Draco responded. "Hello, _Nolen,_" He spat, eyes flashing with hatred. "Or should I even call you that?" Ana smiled and 'tsk tsked,' shaking her head.

"Not yet, Draco," she said. "Don't ruin the surprise for ears that are listening in."

Draco rolled his eyes. There was obviously no one else around, but leave it to Ana to be paranoid. After everything that had happened, Draco almost didn't blame her.

"Why, Ana, where _have_ you been? Ran home to Mummy, did you?" He taunted, smiling maliciously. "What did she say when she realised you had failed? What did she _say_ when she found out I was still alive?"

Anger flashed through Ana's eyes and for a second, the white wand light glowed red. She composed herself quickly and smiled again.

"My mother doesn't know of this... issue," Ana said. "And she won't need to. There are other ways to _remove_ you. Although, you shouldn't have gotten out of the last one." Her smile wavered slightly, "Oh my dear, dear Draco... how did you manage it? Oh, and do you enjoy my spell? Can't run off to tell Harry this time, can you?"

"Oh my dear, dear Ana," Draco sneered, anger welled in his stomach when she brought up the spell. "Quite simple, really. I just used a very powerful memory charm." He smiled wickedly.

Ana growled and advanced on Draco almost immediately. She had her wand at his throat and was about to say a spell when the doors banged open.

"Ana?" They both looked up to find Alex looking at them with an alarmed expression. "_Ana!_ You need to be more careful! Harry and Blaise are only a little behind me- quick, get away from him!"

Ana looked from Draco to Alex before quickly moving away from Draco and putting her wand back in her pocket. A few seconds later, Harry and Blaise burst through the doors.

Draco's heart lifted at the sight of Harry. He looked slightly out of breath.

"Er..." Harry began, looking from Ana to Draco. "I was just, um, coming to visit you, Draco," he finished lamely.

Draco wanted to laugh at Harry's cover excuse, but he couldn't.

"Well, you should go and get ready for the Quidditch match," Draco spoke. He couldn't let Ana think that Harry was suspicious of her. That is, if he even was. "Go and find Marcus. Talk about some plays you're going to do on Saturday. I'll see you tomorrow in class. I'm just really tired." Everyone stared at him. He never passed up an opportunity to hang out with Harry alone.

Ana, however, thought she was getting to Draco. She smiled smugly and pulled at Alex's hand.

"Yeah, let's go talk to Marcus, guys." Ana nodded her head towards the door. "Draco needs his rest."

Harry looked at Draco with hurt and suspicion written in his eyes. Draco knew he didn't believe him, but he prayed that Harry would just go along with it for once.

"Come on, Harry," Ana leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

KISSED HIM ON THE CHEEK! Who did that bitch think she was? She _did_ realise that Draco could destroy her in two simple words, didn't she? Then Draco remembered: he couldn't do anything about Ana. She could do whatever she wanted and Draco could never expose her.

Harry blushed. He nodded and walked to the door behind Ana and Alex. Blaise brought up the rear. Right when Harry reached the door, he turned and looked at Draco. Draco itched to try and tell him it was Ana, but he couldn't. Harry nodded and turned back around. Silence settled in the vast room.

It was like no one had been there at all.

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY'S POV<strong>

Harry was avoiding Draco. Oh sure, he still sat next to him in class and during meals, but he wouldn't talk unless it was absolutely necessary. He knew Draco had been lying to him, he just didn't know why.

Mostly he was thinking about the Quidditch match. It was Friday afternoon, and he was extremely nervous. It only got worse when he was walking to lunch with Ana, Alex, Blaise, Jack, and Ramona Slater. Two Gryffindor second years passed and one bumped into Ana forcefully.

"Watch where you're going, Nolen!" The blonde of the two yelled. The brunette smirked.

"Isn't that what you mom said last night, Smithson?" Ana called. The blonde paled.

"You better watch it, Nolen," she said angrily. "Maybe tomorrow I won't watch where the bludger goes after I hit it. Not that we'll need to take you out of the game to win. We'll still kick your ass."

"_Language,_ Smithson," Jack spoke before Ana could say anything else. "Remember, I'm a prefect. I'll give you detention if you don't control yourself. Same for you, Jackson," he nodded to the brunette, who rolled her eyes and pulled the blonde away into the Great Hall.

"Merlin, Jack! I _had _it!" Ana growled as they sat down; Jack stayed standing. "I don't need you breathing down my neck all the fucking time!"

Jack snorted and shrugged.

"I'm not always going to be around, Ana," he said before walking towards Marcus at the end of the table. Harry watched him and started to feel sick.

Ana rolled her eyes and turned towards Ramona.

"Mona," she started, using Ramona's hated nickname (Ramona glared at Ana). "Who's the guy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Nolen," Ramona said quickly, shoving food in her mouth. Ana's eyes lit up.

"Oh it's _Nolen_ now, is it?" She and Alex snickered. Blaise looked at Harry and shrugged. Harry grinned and went back to listening to Ana and Ramona's conversation.

"...Don't see what the big deal is, it's just a boy!" Ramona was saying, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"Ramona, we've been friends since our first trip to Diagon Alley when we were eight," Ana calmly stated. Ramona hummed sarcastically. "I just like to know what's going on in your life! Oh Merlin..." She looked sick and she stared at Ramona. "It's not Jack, is it?"

"Merlin, no!" Ramona gasped. "It's just... not someone you'd approve of."

"It's not a Hufflepuff, is it?" Ana asked, horrified. Ramona chuckled.

"No, but it's the next best thing," she took a drink of her pumpkin juice before standing up. "I'll see you later, Ana." She nodded to the others and walked out of the Great Hall.

Ana looked after her, her mouth agape in horror and surprise.

"R-R-Ramona is dating... a-a Gryffindor!"

* * *

><p>As much as Harry wished time would slow down or maybe stop, no genies appeared to grant this for him. And Saturday came just as fast.<p>

Harry had been woken up by Alex slapping him in the face. He sat up angrily and prepared to share his feelings with her in a very _physical_ way, but she moved back and into Blaise's arms quickly. Harry growled at her and gave her the universal sign of peace. Alex grinned and winked.

"Oh, Harry," she laughed. "I had to get you up somehow! You weren't waking up to Draco kissing you passionately, so..."

"WHAT!" Harry yelled, feeling his face grow hot.

"ALEX!" Draco's voice came from the doorway. "I did _nothing_ of the sort! Don't say things like that- Harry might get excited," he winked comically. Everyone in the dormitory laughed.

Harry felt the heat in his face, so he decided to just not say anything and get ready. He put on all the Quidditch gear Marcus had given them at their last practise. When he was finally ready, they all made their way to the common room to meet up with Ana and Ramona.

"Hi, Harry," Ana said, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. This was somewhat of a routine for them now. They would say hello, and Ana would kiss him on the cheek. He never noticed Draco's eyes flashing with hatred.

They all started their walk towards the Great Hall; Ana, Alex, and Blaise were in the front; Harry, Draco, and Ramona were in the back. Jack was already at the pitch with Marcus.

Breakfast was very weird. Ana, Alex, and Ramona wolfed down every bit of their food in less than five minutes. Blaise and Draco ate calmly as if nothing were happening. Harry took one look at his food and almost barfed. How could anyone eat? Harry was so nervous that the thought of food made him want to run away.

"Harry," Harry looked up to see Draco staring at him with a warning look, "Eat your food." Harry shook his head and Draco sighed. "Fine. Suit yourself."

When they finally got to the dressing rooms, Harry was so sure that he would puke all over everyone. His hands were shaking as he put his robes on over his gear.

As they all lined up to go onto the field, Harry's stomach was doing somersaults. Thank Merlin he hadn't eaten anything. Never, in his eleven years of life, had he been this nervous.

He looked over to Draco, who smiled his rare warm smile. He looked back at Ana, who winked before smirking. Marcus turned to them quickly.

"Okay, listen up," he began, looking around at all of them. "I know it's only the first game, but we have to beat them. We've been practising very well and I know we have a great team." Then he snorted. "Alright, enough of _that_. LET'S GO SLITHER INTO THE LIONS DEN AND BEAT THEIR ASSES!" He yelled, and they all cheered.

Slowly, one by one, their names were called until it was only Harry and Marcus left. When Marcus's name was called, he looked at Harry and smiled.

"Get us that snitch, Harry." Then he was gone. Harry heard a collection of abuse and applause coming from outside. It was almost his time. He swallowed the lump in his throat and mounted his broom.

After a full minute of silence, he heard it.

"AND HARRY POTTER AS SEEKER FOR THE SLYTHERIN TEAM!"

He swallowed again and looked up. Then Harry Potter flew up into the thick of deafening screams coming from every House in Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>Harry couldn't believe. He literally <em>did not<em> believe it. Yet there was the snitch, resting neatly in his hand as he stared at it.

At first, he didn't even hear the roar of the crowd. But after he touched down, the entire Slytherin House surrounded him and two sixth years put him on their shoulders. Even Hufflepuff was celebrating.

He couldn't help the smile that came across his face. He help up the snitch and yelled with the rest of the crowd. When the two boys put him down, Ana pushed through the crowd and ran to Harry. She hugged him, screaming "YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT!" over and over again.

Harry looked over her shoulder and saw Alex and Blaise kissing happily. He smiled for them. A little farther into the crowd, he saw Ramona kissing... Ron? He chuckled to himself think of what Ana's reaction would be.

The last person he saw was Draco. Their eyes met for a split second before Ana's lips were on his own.

* * *

><p><strong>DRACO'S POV<strong>

Draco couldn't believe it. He just _could not_ believe it. Yet there they were, snogging as the whole school around them cheered.

Draco had half a mind to go and break them apart forcefully. But his legs wouldn't work, all he could do was watch. Watch as his best friend slipped further away from him. He should have told Harry all about Ana when he had the chance, _before _the dream! He should have seen this coming!

When they finally pulled apart, Draco heard Harry's slightly dazed voice.

"What are you doing, Ana?" Draco could only barely make out Ana's sickly sweet voice reply, "Whatever you're doing, Harry."

'_I'm going to kill myself.'_ Draco thought. _'I'm going to kill myself, and then I'm going to come back and take Ana down with me.'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello, everyone! (: I hope you liked the chapter! ****I'm going to do all seven books, so do you think I should put them all in the same story, or separate them to different stories? Please let me know. Also, I know I'm adding a lot of OCs, but they're all essential to the plan- I promise! (:**

**p.s. I hope the little Slytherin 'pep talk' was alright. I didn't really know if Marcus should be mean to them or what, so I hope it looks okay. **


	8. Secondhand News

**READ CHAPTER 6 AND 7 AGAIN BEFORE YOU READ THIS! I CHANGED A FEW THINGS AND YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND IF YOU DON'T! Anyway, I'm soooo sorry this is so late. _ So many things have been happening lately. I hope you enjoy. (:**

* * *

><p><strong>DRACO'S POV<strong>

"Password?" The portrait guarding the Slytherin common room and dormitories challenged Draco.

"Timeri," He grumbled. "Not that we need to be feared." The portrait swung open, granting him access.

Draco quickly scanned the common room. Dinner had been over for about an hour, so he fully expected the room to be full. There were just a few _certain_ people Draco did not want to run into.

'_Well,'_ He thought bitterly. _'I would _love _to run into her with a knife, like she did to me, but that's beside the point.'_

He finished his inspection of the room and determined it was safe. He had sunk into his favourite armchair and was about to pull out his Transfiguration homework when he heard it: That annoying laugh followed by that annoying voice, accompanied by another voice. A voice that made Draco want to punch and kick himself until he was bruised and broken on the outside, just like his heart.

Draco looked up towards the door, where four figures had just emerged. Alex and Blaise were first to appear, holding hands. Both were wearing light green sweatshirts with a huge snake shaped like an 'S' on the front. Alex's fiery red hair and dark blue eyes looked really good with the green. Draco probably would've liked her at some point- if she weren't evil, that is.

They were followed closely by the two people Draco had been avoiding. Ana had her hair up in a ponytail and her bangs were cut just above her eyebrows, showing off her green eyes. She was still wearing her school robes, and the green and silver tie complimented her eyes even _more._

'_Damn her!' _Draco shouted in his head, gritting his teeth. Today was turning out to be a _really_ bad day.

Ana was laughing and looking at someone right behind her. _Harry._ Draco's throat filled with a lump the size of Hagrid. Harry was laughing joyfully at something that had probably happened before they entered. He was wearing a long white shirt with a green vest over it. His green and silver tie was slightly undone, and his jet black hair was sticking up all over the place.

Draco didn't want to talk to any of them, and he didn't want to see Ana's face. He stood up discreetly and gathered his things. He started walking towards the door, fully prepared to go to the library. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around.

"Er..." Harry began. He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at his feet.

"Yes?" Draco said impatiently. Harry's eyes flickered upward and met Draco's.

"I, uh..." He looked very lost. Draco smirked. He probably hadn't even had anything to say to him.

"Spit it out, Harry," He snapped. "I need to go to the library. I can't get behind on my homework right before Christmas."

Harry's face lit up. "I'll come with you! We can talk- we haven't talked in a long time.

"No thanks," Draco said, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral. "I'm just going to work on homework." Harry's smile slid off of his face and his eyes were on his shoes again.

"I just-" Harry began, but Draco interrupted.

"So if that's all you needed, I'll just be going." He had a conscious feeling that someone was watching them, and he didn't want Harry to start apologising.

Harry sighed, "Yes, that's all."

Draco wanted nothing more than to stay there and talk, but he didn't want Ana or Alex to be around. He didn't even know if he could trust Blaise anymore, and they had been friends since they were eight years old. Granted, he wasn't in the prestigious 'four', but he was always there for Draco. Ana just tore things apart.

Draco watched as Harry walked back to Ana. She smiled at him, but then turned to glare at Draco when she saw how crestfallen Harry was. She hugged him and put her hand through his, but he shook her off and disappeared through the door leading to the dormitory.

Draco sighed and turned towards the door. In six weeks, how had everything gone so wrong?

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY'S POV<strong>

All Harry wanted to do was ask Draco. It was one simple question, but Draco always got out of talking to him, and Harry never got the chance.

It all started after he and Ana had kissed. He'd turned back to the place he had seen Draco, but Draco had disappeared. Harry searched all over the place- the stands, the grounds, the castle- but he couldn't find him.

Finally, he found him on the Astronomy Tower, sitting on the edge. He had still been in his Quidditch equipment. Harry had tried to talk to him, but Draco just told him he needed to "be alone" for a little while.

And so began the silent treatment.

Every time Harry sat down next to Draco outside of class, he picked up a book or turned away and talked to someone else. In class, if they were in need of partners, Draco would hurry and quickly pair with Theodore, which left Harry with Blaise. If Draco was walking in the corridor and Harry tired to catch up to him, Draco would flat out run until he caught up with another Slytherin. When Harry finally caught up to them, they always looked to be in deep discussion, and Harry had no choice but to walk away.

After a month, Draco finally started talking to him again, but he never smiled or laughed. It felt like they were two strangers meeting for the first time, not best friends.

Harry knew vaguely that it all had something to do with Ana, but he didn't understand how she had any part in it. Draco obviously had never liked her, but to not talk to Harry at all was taking it a little too far.

So, as Harry climbed into bed he realised- the Sorting Hat didn't almost put him into Gryffindor for nothing. He just needed to suck it up and ask him. It was just a simple question. The worst thing Draco could say was 'no.'

Merlin, he hoped Draco didn't say no.

* * *

><p>It was now three days before Christmas break began, and Harry still hadn't asked Draco. He had had ample opportunities over the past two days, but he feared what Draco would say. He didn't want to be laughed at.<p>

Draco was his first and only best friend, and Harry was losing him. He imagined it would get worse if he didn't do something soon.

When Harry sank into his chair next to Draco in Transfiguration on Wednesday morning, he ignored everyone else, and stared at Draco. Harry continued to stare, even when he knew that it was bothering him. Draco shifted every few seconds, clearing his throat as he looked over their homework from the previous lesson.

"Would you kindly stop staring at me, Harry?" He finally said, giving up on trying to ignore the stare. Harry faked surprise, inwardly smirking.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" He teased, mimicking Draco's proper manner. Draco sighed and turned to face him.

"Harry, what do you need? You've been staring at me for about ten minutes. So," He smirked, "Unless you find me incredibly handsome, you obviously have something to say."

Harry had enough self-control not to look embarrassed at this comment. He narrowed his eyes at Draco.

"Ha, ha," He said sarcastically. "Very funny. Yes, I have a few things I can think of to say." Harry started slowly taking out his quill and ink, setting them carefully on the table with his parchment and wand.

"Well?" Draco said impatiently. Harry looked over at him again.

"You've been avoiding me." He stated.

"That's not a question." Draco said simply.

"I never said I had a question," Harry shot back. "You asked me if I had something to say, not a question."

Draco opened his mouth, but closed it again quickly. He rolled his eyes and attempted to turn back to his homework, but Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"McGonagall will be here any minute." Harry said as Draco glared at him. "You've been avoiding me- why?"

"I don't like the company you keep around." Draco said defiantly.

"Oh, c'mon, Draco! Ana's not dangerous! Neither is Alex! And Blaise is your best friend!" Harry tried to persuade him.

"No, you are."

"Still," Harry said quickly, his heart lifting considerably when Draco said he was his best friend. "If you were around them more often you'd see!"

"No thanks," Draco said acidly. "I don't think I'd be too welcomed in your _club._"

"Jack and Ramona always hang out with us, that's not a valid excuse." Harry retorted.

"Not always," Draco said coolly. "Ramona's almost always sucking face with Ron, and I don't even want to _know_ what Jack does with Marcus." Harry was silently confused for a few moments, and then his mouth formed a small 'o' and his eyes went wide.

"You don't mean..." His voice trailed off. Before Draco could respond, McGonagall swept in, silencing them all instantly.

Halfway through the lesson, Draco nudged him. He looked over to him, and Draco nodded towards a piece of parchment on Harry's side of the desk. Harry picked it up and read it quickly.

'_Go to the library after dinner- we'll talk there.' _Draco's neat handwriting looked up at him. He smiled and nodded, without ever actually looking at Draco.

* * *

><p><strong>DRACO'S POV<strong>

Draco had been waiting for an hour. He was sitting in the library, pretending to do his homework, but he could only fish through his Potions book so many times. Madam Pince kept walking back and forth past him, sniffing unpleasantly. He could tell she was definitely suspicious, but she couldn't kick him out of the library, could she?

"...can't believe you didn't just ask Professor Snape to help you, Harry. I mean, it's no secret he _adores_ you and Draco." Draco heard whispering coming nearer to the table he was sitting at.

"Listen, Granger-"

"Hermione."

"Yeah- whatever. Hermione, Draco obviously doesn't want to tell me, or he'd have done so already!" Was that Harry and the Gryffindor Mudblood?

"But what if he _can't_?" Granger whispered exasperatedly. "Harry, he's your best friend. He wants to tell you everything. If he just all of a sudden _won't,_ I think there may be a problem."

'_Merlin that girl is smart,' _Draco thought as he listened in. _'...for her age, that is. And even more considering she's a Mudblood.'_

"Well..." Harry sounded like he was thinking. "Right before he got out of the hospital wing, he said that he couldn't tell me. Something about a spell, maybe?"

Granger gasped, "Harry! That must be it! He won't tell you because whoever it is put a spell on him! A very powerful one... It must be someone older and they must know a _lot_ of magic..." Her whispers trailed off as the pair got closer to Draco.

"I'll see you around, Gra- Hermione." Harry said. Draco heard her retreating footsteps and Harry's approaching ones. A few moments later, Harry's head popped out from behind a shelf.

"Smart friend you have there," Draco said without looking up from his Potions essay.

"Listen, Draco-"

"I'm guessing she's not the reason you're an _hour late_, but..." Draco trailed off. He couldn't say Ana's name, not even in a normal conversation. One of the side effects from Ana's lovely spell, he supposed.

"Draco, I-"

"I don't understand," Draco interrupted, finally looking up at Harry coldly. "Why you spend all this time trying to get my attention and trying to be my friend again, and then you blow me off for your precious girlfriend. I bet she put you up to this, didn't she? You don't even have anything to ask me. Why bother even coming at all?"

"Draco!" Harry looked shocked. "What the hell? I wasn't with Ana for the past hour, I was alone. I've been pacing in front of the library, trying to think of what to say!" Draco felt ashamed. Of course, why would Harry do that to him?

But what about Ana? It was too suspicious.

"Well-" Draco started, but Harry cut him off.

"Gr- Hermione is very smart, and no, she wasn't the reason I was late, once again. I ran into her as she was coming out of here. We started talking about you. About who _stabbed _you.

"And lastly, yes; I do have something to ask you. Why else would I keep trying to get you alone?" Harry finished, looking at Draco.

"Well, you could be dying to confess your deep, deep attraction to me, and wanting to rip my clothes off, and-"

"Dear Merlin, _how _did you grow up, watching porn?"

"Porn? What the bloody hell is porn?" Draco asked, confused.

"It's... oh, never mind," said Harry, not wanting to have a discussion about porn, especially with Draco. "We need to talk."

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Draco asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, we're yelling at each other."

"Whispering." Draco pointed out. "If we were yelling, Madam Pince would kick us out." Harry sighed and sat down.

"So, first things first: Jack and _Marcus?_"

* * *

><p>After about two hours of talking, Madam Pince showed up at their table and told them the library would be closing in ten minutes. They began to pack up their bags and put the books they were "studying" back on the shelves.<p>

"Oh," Draco remembered; Harry looked up at him. "What did you want to ask me?"

Harry immediately looked down and started mumbling. Draco could only make out a few words ("No matter...", "Two more days...", "Can wait..."), and smirked.

"What was that, Harry? Do you have something to ask me in the next two days? Before Christmas break? Surely the most convenient and prudent time would be now..."

"Oh, alright!" Harry said irritably. "?" Draco blinked.

"W-What?" He said.

Harry took a deep breath.

"Will you stay here at Hogwarts with me for Christmas?"


End file.
